Cosmetic industry is permanently seeking new ingredients possessing real activities and which are available for topical use by the public.
For numerous persons, the desire to maintain or retrieve a young appearance has made the fight against skin aging a major economic issue, hence an active research for new compounds, more and more effective in this fight against deteriorated/damaged/imperfect skin.
The unsightliness of hyperpigmented spots, also called chloasma, melasma or senescence spots, a long-time concern for women, is at the origin of the development of numerous cosmetic products with a lightening, even whitening purpose. However, in order to match the evolution of attitudes toward the global handling of skin pigmentation problems, it is necessary to address today a larger public. Indeed, women but also men, young or less young, have always been worried by their complexion and their skin colour. In particular, Asian, African and South-American communities often aspire to a more uniform, lighter complexion.
A large number of lightening ingredients, inhibitors of tyrosinase, based on a competitive inhibition of the enzyme responsible for the fabrication of melanin, or more complex products aimed either at the inhibition of the intracellular activation of the tyrosinase, or at the inhibition of the calcium fluxes decreasing the quantity of synthesized melanin or at other cellular mechanisms have not yielded results satisfactory enough. The discovery of the whitening activity of certain peptides is the object of the present patent.
The application EP0389950 discloses a melanocyte-stimulating hormone inhibitor having an amino acid sequence-His-Ser-Arg-Trp (SEQ ID NO 36) and its whitening effect. The application FR2761602 discloses peptide sequences His-Ser-Gln-Gly-Thr-Phe (SEQ ID NO 39), His-Ser-Gln-D-Ala-Thr-Phe (SEQ ID NO 37) and His-Ser-Gln-Ala-Thr-Phe (SEQ ID NO 52) which have lipolytic activity. The application EP1563826 discloses a cosmetic treatment composition for keratinic matter comprising oligopeptides with the sequence Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu (SEQ ID NO 38) or His-Ser-Gln-Gly-Thr-Phe (SEQ ID NO 39). The application WO2005116067 discloses the MSH— agonist tripeptide His-DPhe-Trp-NH2 and its use for stimulating the melanisation. The application WO 2005/116068 relates peptide A-His-DPhe-Arg-Trp-NH2 and its use for cosmetically fighting against canities. The application EP0972522 discloses a biologically functional peptide derivative of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone having the sequence [(DL) Lip] His-D.homoPhe-Arg-Trp-NH2 (SEQ ID NO 40) and its cosmetic use to fight cutaneous disorders bound to an inflammation. The application FR2857581 discloses a combination of a UV-B filter and an antiinflammatory agent His-DPhe-Arg-Trp (SEQ ID NO 41) used to retard hair loss. The application W 02/079146 discloses the compound His-Tic-piperidine and its use as modulator of melanocortin receptors.
One of the aim of the present invention is thus to be able to propose a product which presents an efficiency as a lightening agent, and so without important secondary effects.